Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 24, 2026
Optic Nerve Transection: A Model of Adult Neuron Apoptosis in the Central Nervous System
Published on: May 12, 2011
Optic nerve avulsion from door-handle trauma in children
I A Chaudhry1, F A Shamsi, A Al-Sharif
1Oculoplastic and Orbit Division, King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. orbitdr_kkesh@yahoo.com
Insights
Door-handle trauma in children frequently causes severe vision loss due to optic nerve avulsion (ONA). This condition often results in permanent blindness, necessitating enucleation in many cases.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Pediatric Trauma
- Optic Nerve Injuries
Background:
- Door-handle injuries are a recognized cause of pediatric ocular trauma.
- Optic nerve avulsion (ONA) is a severe consequence of blunt ocular trauma.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the incidence and outcomes of severe visual loss resulting from optic nerve avulsion (ONA) in children with door-handle trauma.
- To analyze the clinical presentation, diagnostic methods, and management of ONA in this pediatric population.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of clinical records of 14 children treated for door-handle ocular trauma.
- Analysis of patient demographics, trauma circumstances, presenting symptoms, visual acuity, diagnostic findings (clinical and imaging), interventions, and final visual outcomes.
- Histopathological confirmation in enucleated eyes.
Main Results:
- 14 children (11 male, 3 female, average age 8 years) sustained door-handle trauma.
- Presenting visual acuity was light perception (LP) in 5 and no light perception (NLP) in 9; all had ONA.
- Final visual acuity was LP in 1 and NLP in 13; 8 eyes required enucleation due to pain or for cosmetic reasons.
Conclusions:
- Optic nerve avulsion (ONA) is a primary cause of severe visual loss in children experiencing door-handle ocular trauma.
- Door-handle injuries can lead to devastating and permanent vision impairment, often requiring enucleation.
Aim:
To report severe visual loss caused by optic nerve avulsion (ONA) in children with door-handle trauma.
Methods:
Clinical records at a tertiary eye care hospital, of 14 children who sustained severe visual loss as a result of door-handle injuries, were reviewed. The data were analysed for location, presenting symptoms and signs, diagnostic studies, intervention, and the cause of visual loss.
Results:
There were 11 males and three females with an average age of 8 years and an average height of 125 cm. The place of trauma was home in 11 and school in three children. Presenting visual acuity (VA) was light perception (LP) in five patients and no light perception (NLP) in nine. All the 14 children had evidence of ONA and four patients had ruptured eye globes that required initial repair. The diagnosis of ONA was made clinically or by imaging studies and confirmed histopathologically in eyes that were enucleated. Average follow up was 28.8 months (range 4 months to 8 years). Final VA was LP in one patient and NLP in 13 patients, eight eyes required enucleation for painful blind eye or to achieve optimal cosmesis.
Conclusion:
ONA was the common cause of visual loss in children who sustained ocular trauma caused by door-handles.
Related Concept Videos
01:14Cranial Nerves: Types Part I
Olfactory Nerve (Cranial Nerve I)
The olfactory nerve, or cranial nerve I, is unique as it is purely sensory and dedicated to the sense of smell. This nerve originates in the olfactory epithelium of the...
01:03Olfactory Receptors: Location and Structure
01:12Visual Agnosia
01:24Prosopagnosia